721 N. Memorial Drive, Lancaster, OH 43130 // Main Service: Sunday 9 & 11am // Movement Youth Sunday 5:30pm

Our Perfect Sacrifice

Over the past weeks, we have been looking at what is takes to be a true follower of Christ. This week's focus has been on righteousness, which means right standing with God. Yesterday, we examined how Jesus was crushed for our sins, and today, we are focusing on Jesus Christ as our perfect sacrifice. Please join me in prayer as we ask God to open our hearts to learn from His word.

Heavenly Father, I worship and praise You for the wonderful love You have for me. You knew I could never obtain the righteousness needed to be in fellowship with You on my own. I love You, and long to become the disciple that You want me to be. I thank You for making a way for me through Christ. Amen.

2 Corinthians 5:21 (NLT)
21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.

God is holy and cannot tolerate sin. It does not require much reading in the Bible to conclude that God demands that sin be punished. In Romans 6:23, Paul explains that “the wages of sin is death.” In the Old Testament, sins were atoned for by the shedding of animal blood. A sacrifice had to be made and God outlined just how these sacrifices were to be performed.

Do you have childhood memories of being justly punished for committing the usual sins that as children, we most likely were guilty of?
God knew that left on our own, we would never be able to live in a way that we could have fellowship with Him, so He made Jesus to be the offering for our sin. The sinless Jesus took our place and paid for our sins. God gives us the righteousness of Christ, and it is given to everyone who believes in Him. When we believe in Christ, we go from guilty to set free to enjoy a personal relationship with God our Father through Jesus our Savior. We can now enjoy the same legal status as Christ! How does knowing this make you feel today?

Have you been deemed set free by accepting our perfect sacrifice, Jesus?
As disciples of Jesus, we owe Him our allegiance, obedience, and total surrender. Jesus was always in right standing with God the Father. It was not easy for Jesus to go to the cross and experience shame and extreme suffering unto death, but He did it for us. Jesus always did the Father’s will. In your walk with Jesus, are you ready to do the Father’s will?

Our sin had to be punished, and Jesus, our perfect sacrifice, took on our punishment. Our past, present, and future sins were paid for on the cross. We are now in right standing with God.
As we close our time, please go to God in honest and reflective prayer. Here are a couple of thoughts to get you started.

Talk to God about how He would have you walk a life of deeper discipleship.

Ask God to show you how to walk in obedience and complete surrender to Him.

May you feel the presence of God in your life today.



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